This invention relates to a system and method for electronic collection of data on an agricultural input.
An agricultural input refers to any product, resource, service, or combination thereof that is used, applied, or administered for the production of a horticultural crop, livestock, or both. In the context of horticultural crop, an agricultural input may refer to one or more of the following: planting of seeds, application of fertilizer, application of a chemical, application of water, application of an herbicide, application of a fungicide, application of an insecticide, application of lime to soil, application of organic matter to soil, administration of a crop treatment, and any other practice consistent with proper agricultural practice. In the context of livestock, an input may comprise the provision of feed to an animal, the administration of medical care to an animal, or the administration of a vaccination to an animal, among other possible treatments. If the grower or producer is able to properly document the above agricultural inputs, the documentation may support identity preservation of particular crops, compliance with environmental requirements, and management of enterprise planning, for example.
The grower may document any of the above agricultural inputs according to a manual process in which the grower jots down notes or enters data into a user interface of a computer. However, if the documentation is manual, the documentation may be incomplete and/or inaccurate. Manually entered field inputs may contain clerical errors for numerous reasons, including inattentiveness and distractions of the author. If agricultural inputs are inputted into an electronic device, the agricultural inputs may be inputted into a computer at the office before or after the operation is performed, as opposed to when agricultural inputs are applied or administered. The agricultural inputs may represent stale or premature data that does not realistically reflect the application, administration, or management of the actual agricultural input. Further, different users or the same user may use inconsistent or disparate naming conventions that impede the convenient sharing of data between people and across applications. Thus, a need exists for a method and system for collecting agricultural data on agricultural inputs in an automated or electronic manner to reduce data collection errors and foster the exchangeability of agricultural data within a business or between business entities.
A system and method for electronic input of data in the field comprises a reader for reading a tag associated with an agricultural input. A reading time is associated with the reading of the tag. A tag identifier of the tag and the reading time is communicated to trigger the collection of agricultural input data during performance of an agricultural input. An input identifier is assigned for a corresponding agricultural input. Data is collected substantially contemporaneously with performing the agricultural input. The collected data is stored or made available in a standard format for sharing with at least one of an application and a group of users.